The present disclosure relates generally to products incorporating compositions including supersaturated solutions capable of imparting a temperature change to the products through crystallization enthalpy. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to supersaturated solutions that can be effectively utilized in a wipe or similar product such that, upon use and activation, the supersaturated solutions are contacted with one or more activation means, which causes a warming sensation on the skin upon product use. The products may include one or more other active ingredients.
Wet wipes and dry wipes and related products have been used for some time by consumers for various cleaning and wiping tasks. For example, many parents have utilized wet wipes to clean the skin of infants and toddlers before and after urination and/or defecation. Many types of wet wipes are currently commercially available for this purpose.
Today, many consumers are demanding that personal health care products, such as wet wipes, have the ability to not only provide their intended cleaning function, but also to deliver a comfort benefit to the user. In recent studies, it has been shown that baby wet wipes currently on the market are sometimes perceived to be uncomfortably cold upon application to the skin, particularly for newborns. To mitigate this problem, there have been many attempts to produce warming products to warm the wipes to comfort the wet wipe users from the inherent “chill” given off by the contact of the moistened wipes upon the skin.
These warming products are generally electrically operated and come in two distinct styles. One is an “electric blanket” style which is sized to wrap around the external surfaces of a plastic wet wipes container. The other is a self-contained plastic “appliance” style which warms the wet wipes with its internally positioned heating element. Though such currently known and available wet wipe warming products typically achieve their primary objective of warming the wet wipe prior to use, they possess certain deficiencies, which can detract from their overall utility and desirability.
Perhaps the biggest deficiency of the current wet wipe warming products is their inability to sustain the moisture content of the wet wipes. More specifically, drying of the wet wipes occurs due to heating of their moisture which accelerates dehydration. As a result, wet wipes may become dried-out and unusable.
Other complaints by wipe warmer users include discoloration of the wet wipes after heating, which appears to be inevitable because of a reaction of various chemicals in the wipes upon the application of heat. Wipe warmer users further complain about warmer inconvenience and potential electrical fire hazards, which can result with the use of electrical warming products.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for wet wipes that can produce a warming sensation just prior to, or at the point of use, without using external heating products. It would be desirable if the wet wipes could produce a warming sensation within less than about 10 seconds after activation and raise the temperature of the wet wipe solution and the wet wipe base substrate at least 20° C. or more for at least 20 seconds.